Public Service Announcement: Before we start, I want to establish and Ethics Alarms rule: the word is baloney, not “bologna” when I’m around. I’ve never understood why that archaic spelling has persisted.
Oquavious Chandler, a 29-year-old convicted felon, was arrested last week after his stepfather reported him for assault. The alleges victim told police that he had removed a PlayStation system from Chandler’s bedroom because he “was being too loud.” Chandler shouted at his stepfather and “threw a baloney sandwich at him, which ultimately hit him in the center of his chest.”
Chandler, who was on probation, confessed to the sandwich assault and battery. That would normally be a misdemeanor (my late wife once threw a forkful of spaghetti at me, but missed) but because he had been convicted of multiple violent encounters, all arising out of his passion for video games. In 2023, Chandler pleaded no contest to choking his sister during a PlayStation dispute and served about a year in state prison. The previous year, Chandler threatened a 60-year-old man with a knife and pushed his sister ground. Chandler told cops he “got upset at his video game” which led to both attacks. He was found guilty of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and battery.
Throwing a sandwich with malicious intent would normally be a misdemeanor, the baloney battery was upgraded to a felony because of the previous incidents. That means that he is also being charged with violating the terms of his probation.
That trick of upgrading a misdemeanor to a felony is redolent of how New York found a way to convict Donald Trump of “34 counts” of a felony.
I have three conclusions after pondering this story. First, the stepfather reporting his son for throwing the sandwich was cruel. Kick him out of the house, if he’s hard to live with, but siccing law enforcement on him for that is unjustifiable. Presumably this was a “last straw” situation, but there had to be a more reasonable response than setting Chandler up to be sent back to prison.
Second, the police should have refused to arrest Chandler for such a trivial incident. I kept wondering what the Reagan boys on “Blue Bloods” would have done. This was basically a domestic dispute. (“Blue Bloods” has ended its long run on CBS, and none too soon, but if it was still kicking, I bet this incident would have made it into an episode.)
Finally, Chandler needs to find another hobby. Videogaming just isn’t working out.
***
Note: Okay, explain this one: the WordPress AI bot wants me to tag this post, “Jamie Foxx; Raymond Chandler; and “book review.”
Ethics Alarms 
It would seem to me that if the prior violent incidents involved video gaming I am wondering if the violation was for use of a video game and not necessarily the sandwich toss. It would seem to me that a condition of parole or probation would be abstinence from using such things like computer use is denied to people using computers to violate various laws.
I’m going to agree with Chris here. I don’t know if a condition of his probation was to stay away from video games, but it would seem that a more appropriate solution to this incident would be to require anger management classes and to encourage treatment for a video game addiction.
I cannot play video games. They make me too angry because I don’t like doing stupid things that cause my character to die. It doesn’t matter if the character is Pac-Man, Mario or Boba Fett. I get tense and yell at the screen. It is also very hard for me to stop playing once I get into a game. I don’t like who I am when I am playing and other people don’t like me either. I haven’t played a video game in almost 20 years. It’s just better that way.
This fellow needs to recognize that he is not in a good place when it comes to his games.
Well, I can empathize. Although I don’t typically yell at my video games. I have been known to talk to them. And there is the age old programmer’s lament “Stupid computer, do what I want you to do, not what I told you to do!”
I am of an age where I can devote a lot of time outside of income tax season to video games — I’ve always preferred strategy and building games to the shoot-em-up variety, except I find factory games without any enemies at all to generally be a bit boring.
On the other hand, I am fairly quiet and restrained when I’m on the computer (aside from watching sports), so the idea of disrupting other people’s lives with my games just seems wrong.
that was cruel. Stop it.
jvb
The stepfather might be a jerk, or he might be aware of other troubling behaviors or threats, and his only recourse was to goad the young man into behavior leading to an arrest. How many times have we all wondered about the knowledge and awareness of the friends and family of mass shooters, who didn’t realize the imminent danger. The local mall or high school might just owe this man a “thank you.”
just a thought
Oh, Jack, Jack. We know that you are of Greek ancestry. Now you’re continuing the age old Greek resentment of the Roman Empire and showing your disdain for all things Italian. The Romans won, your ancestors got whipped (but at least they didn’t go the way of Carthage).
Caesar says bologna.
Corinth went the way of Carthage: spill and (a generation or so later) fill.